Prescription-file



No Model.)

WY. H. STOFFRBGBN. PRESCRIPTION FILE.

No. 563,517. Patented July '7, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

VILLIAM H. STOFFREGEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PRESCRIPTION-FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,517, dated J' uly '7, 1896. Application filed November 4, 1895. Serial No. 567,846. (Nomodel.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. STOFF- EEGEN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Prescription- Files; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for filing and indexing irregular slips or sheets of paper, such as memoranda and the like, being especially designed for prescription-druggists7 use for ling prescriptions, but being capable of adaptation to oth er purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved combined identifying-slip and blank form for attachment to a prescription, adapted for use in combination with an impaling-pin file, whereby prescriptions of irregular sizes and shapes may be suitably identified, memoranda concerning the same noted upon the slip, and iiled away in such Y manner that they may thereafter be referred to with facility and Without disarran ging others contained in the same iile.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and will be readily understood, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of abunch of prescriptions, each provided with an indeXing-slip embodying my invention, placed upon a file. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same,

showing one of the prescriptions separated from the rest for reference thereto. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a prescription having attached -thereto one of the indexing-slips removed from the file.

Prefatory to a description of the invention, it may be stated that prescriptions as received by the druggistin the ordinary course of business are of greatly-varied character, being frequently made out upon fragmentary scraps of paper, a business-card, or whatever else happens to. be at hand in the case of an emergency. Obviously such irregular memoranda are not only extremelydifticult to file so as to be easily found, unless the time and trouble be taken to paste each one in a bill or scrap book and to index it properly, but are frequently too small or too nearly covered with the written matter of the prescription to afford proper space upon which to record the necessary memoranda concerning it. This plan is,however, largely used. Another plan has been to copy each one of the prescriptions literally into a suitable recordingbook. This obviously requires considerable time, besides increasing the liability of mistakes in copying the prescription. Still another plan has been to file the prescriptions loosely in boxes or cases-a certain number in each box; but this plan has the objection of rendering it difficult to refer to any particular prescription, besides the objection hereinbefore referred to of inadequate provision for recording necessary memoranda, such as what particular brand or make of ingredients were used in filling the prescription, when the prescription was refilled, and the like.

The object of the invention is, therefore, to obviate the above objections and others not necessary to enumerate.

Referring to said drawings, A designates the slip as a whole, the same being preferably, and as shown in the present instance, in the form of a relatively narrow rectangular strip made of any suitable paper, as ordinary writing-linen, or the like, and adapted to be secured to a prescription by one of its longer margins, as that designated a, and for convenience of description hereinafter called the foot end of the slip. The said foot end is provided adjacent to its margin with a gumrned strip or portion ct', preferably extending'the full length of the strip, whereby a prescription may be attached thereto by simply moistenin g the gummed surface, asindicated by D, Fig. 3.

o2 designates an impaling or filing pin aperture located adjacent to the head margin of the slip centrally thereof, which aperture is preferably reinforced around its margin by an additional thickness of paper, as shown at 0,3, in order that the slip may not become torn at this point under frequent handling. Obvi- IOO ously, if the slip itself be made of sufficientlystrong material, this reinforcing will not be necessary; but, inasmuch as the paper will be of double thickness where the prescription and slip are united, it is preferable to make said slip of relatively thin stock.

Across one end of the slip, preferably the right-hand end, is printed a blank form for identifying characters, usually containing spaces for t-he serial number of the prescription, date when filled, and name of the purchaser.

It may be here noted that the indexingslips are preferably made longer transversely than the width of the widest prescription which is likely to be received, so that the slip will extend at each end some distance beyond the side margins of the prescriptions attached thereto. This construction renders it easy to turn up the ends of the slips, one at a time, to a sufficient extent to disclose the identifying-characters of each, so that the one sought for may be rapidly found.

Upon the body portion of the blank is printed suitable blank forms for memoranda, said forms being printed upside down with the headings of the memoranda-spaces arranged adjacent to the' foot of the blank. The object of this arrangement will appear in the description of the use of the device. Preferably, the slip will be provided with a central vertical dividing-line a4, extending from the aperture a2 to the foot of the slip. This line serves the double purpose of dividing the space for remarks from the space for memoranda concerning the refilling of the prescription, and of indicating the center of the foot of the slip, so that the prescription may be more readily centered when attaching it to the slip.

In use one of the slips is attached to the foot of each prescription as it is received by the druggist, in the manner shown in the drawings, the proper memorandum including the identifying-characters noted thereon, and the slip with the prescription thus attached filed face outward upon any suitable or ordinary file, as C, provided with a single impaling-pin C', said ile being provided with suitable means whereby it may be hung in vertical position against a wall. Obviously, when thus filed the slips with the prescription attached thereto will depend from the impaling-pin with their laterally-extending ends in register with each other, and with the subject-matter of the slips and the prescription in inverted position. Each file will be of sufiicient capacity to accommodate a large number of slips, and ordinarily the prescription placed upon each file will be permitted to remain thereon permanently, the druggist simply hanging the completely-filled files at 011e side in some place convenient of access in the future. Desirably, however, the files employed will be of that character wherein the impaling-pins are of telescopic construction,

and from which any particular paper iled thereon may be removed without disarranging the remaining ones, such les being well known and in common use in banks and mer-4 cantile houses.

When the druggist desires to refer to a prescription iiled some time previously, he simply turns to the proper ile and, without removing it from its place, turns up the ends of the slips until the proper one is found by its identification-marks, and, upon finding it, rotates it upon the impaling-pin of the file from a depending position to a vertical or upright position, as indicated in Fig. 2, thus at the same time separatingv the prescription from the others on the file and bringing its subject-matter right side up in position to be read. After the prescription has been refilled and the proper record thereof noted on the slip, it is again rotated back to its place.

lVhile I have herein shown what I deem to be a preferred embodiment of my invention, yet it will be obvious that various modications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the precise details shown, except as herein claimed.

l claim as my invention- 1. A combined memorandum and indexing sheet, comprising a slip of paper provided, adjacent to its head margin, with an impaling-pin aperture and with a gummed portion extending across its foot margin, a printed blank form for identifying-characters,printed adjacent to one of its side margins, and a blank form for memoranda printed in inverted position in the body of the sheet, subst-antially as described.

2. A combined memorandum and indexing sheet, comprising a rectangular slip of paper provided adjacent to its head margin with an impaling-pin aperture, and with a gummed portion extending across its foot margin, a printed blank form for identifying-characters, printed adjacent to one of its side margins, and a blank form for memoranda printed in inverted position in the body of the sheet, substantially as described.

The combination with a file provided with a single impaling-pin, of a series of combined memorandum and indexing sheets engaged with said impaling-pin, each comprising a rectangular slip of paper provided adjacent to its head margin with an impalingpin aperture and with a gummed margin at its foot, a blank form for identifying-characters printed adjacent to one of its side margins, and a blank form for memoranda printed in inverted position on the body of the sheet, substantially as described.

4:. A combined memorandum and indexing sheet comprising a rectangular strip of paper provided adjacent to its head margin with an impaling-pin aperture, a reinforcement around said aperture, and provided with a gummed portion extending across its foot IOO IIO

margin, a printed blank form for identifyingof` two witnesses, this 1st day of November, characters printed adjacent to one of its side A. D. 1895.

maro'ins and a blank form for memoranda 1 prined in invertedposition in the body of VILLIAM H' STOFFREGEN' 5 the sheet, substantially as described. Witnesses:

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as ALBERT I-I. GRAVES,

my invention I affix my signature, in presence IVILLIAM L. HALL. 

